Hello, PVB!

Recently I felt like playing Virtual Boy Wario Land, so I popped it in my VB and found that all my save files were gone. I started a new file, and sure enough, when I turned the system off and back on it had disappeared.

This looks like a classic case of a dead internal battery. I’ve successfully replaced the batteries in a few Game Boy games before, but I’ve never tried fixing a VB game. Is the procedure any different? What kind of battery is best? Is there anything specific I should know before I do this?

Thanks in advance!

It is indeed the same process as replacing a GB, SNES or any other cartridge save battery.
I do not know the exact number of the battery, but it is a different one than the GB. Just unscrew your cartridge and you’ll know 😉

This has come up a few times in the past. The process is straightforward enough. To quote… me…

Dave_ wrote:
The battery is a CR1616, spot-welded to the tabs.

I put a new one in my Wario Land a few years back. I de-soldered the tabs (with battery attached), then used a blade to get the old battery free. Then I soldered the tabs back in place.

Next I slotted the new battery between the tabs and closed everything back up – I didn’t bother using anything else to secure the battery as it seemed to stay put just fine. And It still works, so yay me.

I hear some places sell batteries with the tabs attached, but it wasn’t too difficult freeing the dead one and simply reusing them.

I wonder if you could use an LIR1616 and find a 5V charging circuit small enough to fit inside the cart…

Just pick up a tabbed CR1616 (or 2025 if it will fit) on eBay, remove the old battery and solder the new one in. It’s very easy to do.

A rechargeable battery isn’t a good option, unless you happen to leave your Virtual Boy running for several hours every day.

3DBoyColor wrote:
A rechargeable battery isn’t a good option, unless you happen to leave your Virtual Boy running for several hours every day.

I beg to differ. Since the current draw is small, and it goes to zero while you’re using the VB, I think a rechargeable would work nicely. It’s good that (AFAIK) only a Li-ion cell would physically fit, though; the “memory effect” of other chemistries (I’m lookin’ at you, NiCd! ;-)) would ruin it after a few low-drain/top-up cycles.

Now that I think of it, though, maybe a supercap would be even better… But then you would probably have to run each cart for a few seconds every so often. Either that or find some pins that would fit, and make a rack that you can plug all your games into that supplies them with +5V 😀

[glaros]

There is a lot of room inside the cartridge for bigger size coin battery (2020-2025-2032)

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by glaros.
• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by glaros.

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RunnerPack wrote:
I beg to differ. Since the current draw is small, and it goes to zero while you’re using the VB, I think a rechargeable would work nicely. It’s good that (AFAIK) only a Li-ion cell would physically fit, though; the “memory effect” of other chemistries (I’m lookin’ at you, NiCd! ;-)) would ruin it after a few low-drain/top-up cycles.

Now that I think of it, though, maybe a supercap would be even better… But then you would probably have to run each cart for a few seconds every so often. Either that or find some pins that would fit, and make a rack that you can plug all your games into that supplies them with +5V 😀

Or you could just install a CR2025 (or 2032) and not have to worry about it for 20+ years.

Hey again! It took me awhile to get at this, but I just installed a CR2025 and now it’s saving again. Thanks!

Unfortunately, I don’t think I have the skills or resources to install a rechargeable battery (at least, not without a step-by-step guide), but if someone else wants to try it I think it would make for an interesting read. 😉

Does anyone know if it would be possible to socket a cartridge for easier future battery replacements?

I did one for a Super Nintendo game some time ago with this video as a guide: link!. Probably not worthwhile since it’ll be 10+ years before it has to be changed again, but hey, why not! 🙂

This happened to me yesterday. I was pissed I played a solid 2.5 hours of Wario Land and got super far but had dinner plans so I had to turn the system off. But I had turned it off a few times that afternoon and it saved fine but when I came back this morning to finish the last few levels it was cleared out. Really sucks!

I took it apart and there is a battery in there. If it removable or for sure soldered in there? I have no experience soldering and am hoping I can just slide in a battery.

The save battery in VB carts seem to be the same as GB, GBC, & some GBA carts, meaning that they are soldered to the board by the tabs. Looking at my VB Wario Land cart, it seems to use a CR 1616 battery for saving which can be harvested from either another VB cart or GB/GBC/GBA cart that has as a save feature. Some Game Boy carts use a CR 2025 battery saving (like the Pokemon games), so it can be a little tricky to find the right size battery to harvest and most GBA games that have save feature use flash storage rather than a battery.

Or you could find replacements on places like eBay with the tabs already in the battery, so all you’d need to do is a quick and careful solder job https://www.ebay.com/itm/10X-CR1616-SAVE-BATTERY-REPLACEMENT-W-TABS-GAMEBOY-COLOR-GBA-ADVANCE-POKEMON/262357234778?hash=item3d15b5b45a:g:GWQAAOSwRLZT-mfn

I bought a cheap solder iron at Harbor Freight for like $10 and sold solder metal stuff. I’ve never soldered before tho. It would require heating the old metal to remove the old tabbed battery and then resolder the new tab on the same place?

That’s basically how it works, but you should really watch some YouTube “how to solder” videos before you try it. There’s some craft and technique to it. It’s not as simple as just melting some metal to the board. Especially if you’re using cheap equipment.

I saw your post on Facebook. That really sucks, man.

Replacing the battery is fairly simple. Here’s how it’s done on a Game Boy game but the principle is the same for VB games.

That’s the one. I watched it and figured it out. I got the battery out using a small screwdriver. But the store I went too didn’t have any and the watch store is closed Sunday. So I ordered a 5 pack off eBay for $3.85 so I’ll put the battery in next weekend. I wish I had done this from the start as it would suck when this happens on my other games!

As I mentioned on FB it blows that they went cheap and Mario Clash doesn’t have a battery, that game needs a save function too!

Alright, so a few days ago, I decided to pop in my copy of SD Gundam which I haven’t played in years (at least 3) and noticed that all the saves were erased. Fearing that maybe the battery had failed and leaked everywhere I then decided to crack it open just to make sure that wasn’t the case. It looks good to me. So After playing the game a few times, I noticed that the save feature is still functional and saving data. So my question is – Is this a sign that the battery is on its way out? or could it be that I just erased all the saves the last time I played the game 3 years ago and just don’t remember doing so.

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It is possible that this is a one off but I had a SNES cart do the same thing, it would save for a day or two but by the end of the week all data gone. So I replaced the battery, now I’m good for another 20 years.

I had this happen to me when I had an NES Zelda cart with a battery on its way out. You probably don’t have much time left with that battery

Yeah the battery works, but it’s not good. I guess the closest term would be that it’s producing undervoltage. There’s enough of a charge left for it to work when the system hits the game with some juice so it feels like it should last, but if you walk away for X amount of hours/days it will be gone if it hasn’t been hit again. I had a SimCity on SNES that did this, it would last weeks, then die.

Yeah, this most likely is a battery issue. I know someone locally that would be able to replace it for me because I for sure will not attempt it if soldering is involved, but his shop is closed for another week. I’m in no hurry, but it’s going to bother me so I’m definitely going to have it done. I’ll post the results.

Thanks for the replies 👍